Eco in Denmark: Back in Copenhagen and leaving Friland

Look closer!.. reused spoons :)

What a big contrast! Coming from the middle-of-nowhere-still-everywhere Friland and to Copenhagen, even makes you able to tell the difference between thick and dusty air and fresh smell of sunflowers. I came to the central station yesterday, leaving my suitcase at my friend's house from previous studies, and noticed I was still wearing the dirty boots from gardening when I passed some of the high heelers at the station, and I wasn't even caring. How could I suddenly stop caring about such details? I guess I came from another world, another priority, another set of mind where things like saving Pakistan and creating sustainable solutions are alot more important than things that can easily break, like heels. But on the same time, I feel freedom walking in a crowded city. Not being anonymous, but being connected. Feeling connected, more to a thousand individuals than to a few isolated ones. And, ironically, those ladies walking in high heels just smiled easily back at me, and I smiled back at them, and we were just one mind - two different pair of shoes, one world. Still walking the same street.

Hmm.. they say that those ugly bricks creating an old street from the 30s were intended to be a woman's enemy, as they all had to dress in high heels and not moving as fast forward as those wearing boots, usually men. So that men could run the cities, and women could just decorate them. That is how city life was created. I believe in it, no feminism thrown in it. It was practical at the time. Practical for creating the industrial revolution and side by side, creating social values to fit into it. We forget, that our common habits in today's fashion is all part of industrial expansion only, but when cities expand in the green direction, one suddenly discovers a mixture of habits like boots, heels, barefoot, crocks, sandals, sneakers, and the back-friendly wellness-shoes with a round step (that everyone tired from working stress seem to wanna buy, ironically). But I love the variation. That one can be a farmer in the city, basically. One can transform this whole city, into a green city. The details only decorating this thought. ;)

"Create your world" - Friland:



Yellow field: Empty, but soon filled with new homes in Phase 3.



Caroline's square straw bale house

Einer's non-square wooden houses

Pop an isolation idea!

Eco in Denmark: The cheapest and most practical house

At the support concert for Pakistan, tiny ecovillage Friland collected 10,000DKK whereas an earth quake resistant straw bale house to be built in Pakistan will cost about 700DKK to implement, by strong hands and local material in Pakistan. This only event will shed 14 families, usually consisting of more than 4 people. So this proves.. little help matters.

Eco in Denmark: Support concert for Pakistan

Yesterday, the ecovillage Friland arranged a support concert for the flood victims of Pakistan, and the previously mentioned housebuilding-project where my previous host flying to Pakistan this week are already starting to teach new building instructors in the area on how to build with the delivered material. The support concert collected a lot of money, by having volunteers working and musicians playing. I participated making ecological drinks in the bar which we sold, and played a few of my compositions on the piano. The other musicians were a singing duo with folk songs, a violin player, an irish flute player and a drum player. There was singing, dancing and lots of pakistani food made by my prev host and his father. Alittle taste of another world, and we came closer to their reality by seeing how wonderful their food and music culture really is. Seeing the dresses hanging on the wall, made me sence there should be persons wearing them..

selling fabrics and tickets

I'm making a smaller installation for SupportPakistan

At the moment I got a happy task from Caroline at Engineers Without Borders, which makes me feel I can contribute on a minor scale for a major project. It is to make a small installation in the same dimensions as the bigger houses, to be shown in TV and on stands. And if I had the money, I'd travel down to Pakistan immediately and help them out! They are planning to set up some hundred thousands of this straw bale house below, to shelter people in the cold mountains during the winter. This installation by the way, is making its way to danish tv-stations very soon to be presented, and it is to show the people donating money where their money goes. I think many people like this project, because it is so specific and practical. I am happy that they are getting more publicity to collect more money for this important project of theirs.

Eco in Denmark: Straw bale houses earth quake resistant

My host in ecovillage "Friland", Caroline Meyer White at Engineers Without Borders in Denmark, is currently working on a specific building project in Pakistan after the flood. She and the engineers are building earth quake friendly straw bale houses with the right technique, to shelter the homeless during the cold winter to arrive! This is for the northern parts of Pakistan, where simple tents won't be enough. And here we also learned something new about straw bale houses: When constructed as explained in the link below, they are tested as earth quake resistant! This way, their new houses will not only shelter them, but also keep them more safe in the years to come, and.. it will be much cheaper to build and easier and faster to build as the locals are brought in who already know much of such building and local material is being used.

NEW INPUT: Straw and compressed straw as one of many natural materials, is different to metal/ bricks and compact material, as straw "breathes" and makes holes and space for the air to flow within its structure, so when the ground shakes the material itself "shakes" in circles with airflow and is more unlikely to collapse than a four-edge, thick wall-structure with no natural "airflow".

From abstract: "The objective of the shake table tests was to assess the seismic response of a 14’ x 14’ x 10’ full-scale house constructed with heavy detailing. The input motion was the Canoga Park Topanga Canyon record of the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake, Mw 6.7. The house was subjected to eight levels of seismic shaking, beginning at 25% of the recorded ground acceleration and increasing at 25% increments. The house survived 0.82g, twice the acceleration of the Canoga Park record. Although severely damaged, the building did not appear in danger of collapse, even at the end of the test sequence."

(Video of shake-table test below, requires Flash):

More information here: http://nees.unr.edu/projects/straw_bale_house.html

And at PAKSBAB: http://www.paksbab.org/

Donation-site (danish): SUPPORTPAKISTAN.DK